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Four simple questions were posed to Rick Mercer to determine his qualifications to co-host the 2014 Canadian Country Music Association awards.

Mercer's quiz results don't really matter, as the native of Newfoundland and host of CBC's Rick Mercer Report already has secured the CCMAs gig. He'll be co-hosting with Jann Arden Sunday, Sept. 7 in Edmonton, and the show will be televised on CBC and CMT. But for the record:

Q: Do you own, or have you ever owned, a pickup truck?

Mercer: “I do not own a pickup truck. But I've certainly driven a lot of pickup trucks, because my father only ever had pickup trucks. And dad never spent more than $800 or $900 on a pickup truck. So there was a steady succession of pickup trucks. I'd say I learned how to drive on probably 11 of them. Not many people can say that. I think it was midway through the 1990s before dad finally spent more than a grand on a car.”

Q: Do you own, or have you ever owned, a pet that loosely could be described as a hound dog?

Mercer: “No, although as a child I had a goat and a horse. Thunder and Lightning, if you must know. And oddly, the goat was Lightning. I always thought it should be the other way around.”

Q: The most recent time you had your heart broken, was your first instinct to write a song or see a doctor?

Mercer: “You know, I have a file on my computer of song ideas that I've sent to Jann Arden and she refuses to read. Every single time I've spent time with Jann Arden (for segments on Rick Mercer Report or otherwise), I've suggested, 'Hey, you and I should write a song together,' and she quickly changes the subject. That is not an exaggeration.”

Q: The Road Hammers - a Canadian country music group, or a particularly rough patch of Newfoundland highway?

Mercer: “That's a band.”

Well, Rick, the answer could be “both.” So we'll give you partial points.

“I didn't do too badly,” Mercer said. “I'm looking forward to the show, it's going to be a lot of fun.

“Once upon a time I used to be in the awards-show business, I guess. I did the Geminis a bunch of times, and the Junos, Canada Day, East Coast Music Awards. But with the schedule for Rick Mercer Report, the CCMA show never really was an option. But everything lined up this time around.

“And whoever had the idea, they certainly had the idea that Jann and I would do it together. Obviously doing it with Jann piqued my interest because I just like spending time with her. I think she's a great comic talent. Also, I need a bit of a tour guide. I mean, I'm a country music fan, I'm a fan of live music, I love these types of shows. But she's my guide into that world.”

It's Mercer who's the guide on Rick Mercer Report, which returns for its 12th season Oct. 7 on CBC. And he's the final authority, I would assume. So I asked him, once and for all, because I've seen official documentation that suggests both: Is it “Rick Mercer Report” or “THE Rick Mercer Report?” Is there a “the” or not?

“I think technically there's not a 'the,' but I never would get nit-picky about it,” Mercer said.

It probably is a question I should have asked long before now.

“You'd think as the producer I might have pondered the question, too,” Mercer said with a laugh. “But whatever floats your boat. Just get the time slot right, that's all I care about.”